A 17th Century Leather Jack or Blackjack Drinking Vessel

Description

Heading : A 17th Century Jack or Blackjack Drinking Vessel
Date : c1685
Origin : English
Bowl Features : No obvious decoration
Marks : None
Type : This is a glorious example of a ‘standard’ four-piece drinking jack. an example of a type dating back to medieval times – see below
Size : 18.6 cm high – 17.0 cm wide from the base to the back of the handle – 10.9 cm diameter at the base
Condition : Excellent; no damage. parted seams or degraded stitches – just the patina and wear you’d expect of such a thing
Restoration : None
Weight : 476 grams

Additional Information : Jacks of this type are wonderfully evocative of their time. The name is believed to be derived from the Middle French word ‘jaquet’ (a common source for ‘jacket’) – a simple piece of clothing. generally tied around the waist and flaring out over the hips – which had a similar. tapering profile to the drinking jacks. The vessels are made from four parts – the main body and integral handle pieces. a roughly circular base. and the handle and base ‘fillers’ which were sandwiched between the matching elements on the body during manufacture; all would have been laboriously hand-pierced and sewn. having been formed around a wooden infill. and then made waterproof by the application of pine-tar. bees wax. resin. naturally occurring pitch. tallow. or a mixture of some of all of these. This coating would darken as it dried. turning the jack black – hence the alternative name. It’s possibly to discern the three-ply construction of the handle and base rim under relatively cursory inspection.